This invention relates to receptacles and kits, including a receptacle for paint and other coating material intended to be used during the application of paint or other coating. For the purpose of convenience of description the invention will be described in the context of paint application.
Paint applicators such as paint pads, paint rollers and paint brushes are widely available in retail outlets along with related accessories of which, with respect to at least pads and rollers, the most important is a tray for holding a batch of paint poured from a can or other container. In many retail outlets the paint pad or paint roller is sold separately from the paint tray and hence the consumer must make two selections, taking care to ensure that a proper size relationship between the applicator and the receptacle is purchased and, also, remembering that a receptacle must be purchased along with an applicator. In addition to the need to make the mental calculations and decisions that this implies, the retail customer must wait at the pay station while the purchased items are rung up separately and thereafter carry two parcels, or one containing the two odd sized loose products, away from the retail outlet.
The retail merchant who offers paint applicators and paint receptacles separately must keep track of and inventory two sku's, find valuable space, preferably side by side, for the display of two separate articles placed width by width, maintain two product display areas in a neat and orderly condition which will be pleasing to the eye of the consumer, run the risk of losing a sale because one of the two items is temporarily out of stock and, in general, accommodate the additional time and effort attributable to purveying multiple products, such as additional check-out time, etc. In addition, the retail merchant must supply a container, such as a bag, for the retail consumer to carry the purchased products away from the retail outlet, and the cost of said containers increases the merchant's total merchandising cost.
Paint kits consisting of a paint applicator and a tray have been developed and made available in an attempt to overcome the above described drawbacks associated with stocking, displaying and selling every product needed by the consumer as a separate item. Such kits have not been satisfactory however for several reasons. For example, few if any kits are so constructed that the paint applicator is maintained in a fixed, visually appealing position with respect to the tray when hung or supported on a display system in a variety of positions. Further, few if any kits currently available have the ability to withstand substantial shock loads such as are experienced when such a kit is dropped from a height of up to eight feet. And few if any kits currently available have the ability, in addition to the foregoing desirable characteristics, to function, in addition, as a package whereby a separate carrying container can be dispensed with.
There is accordingly a need for a paint tray assembly having a paint receptacle and a lid which provides a liquid tight, and virtually air tight, container when holding paint between active uses of the tray assembly and yet is easily assembled when the assembly is intended to function as a storage unit, and easily disassembled when the assembly is opened for active use. There is also a need for a paint kit consisting of at least a paint applicator and a tray assembly as above described which displays the applicator and the tray assembly in a visually appealing manner when presented to potential purchasers in a retail outlet and, at the same time is so rugged that it can withstand heavy shock loads such as are encountered when the kit is, for example, dropped on an edge from as high eight feet or even more, and which can function, in addition, as a carrying container.